Can you break the law to stop climate change … and get away with it?… A successful “necessity defence” needs to show that the crime was necessary in order to prevent an even greater criminal act or irreparable evil… the defendants had failed to show that there was no reasonable legal alternative to their actions… If states are unwilling or unable to sufficiently reduce their carbon emissions in time to make a real difference, shouldn’t people around the world be encouraged to take robust action without fear of being thrown in jail for their efforts to do good?